Top List Of Animation Software For PC:
Here is the list of top animation software for PC. Animation is being widely used in every industry nowadays, whether it’s the entertainment industry or the corporate world. This has resulted in huge demand for good animation software among animation enthusiasts. While searching for a good quality animation tool, you must have realized that a lot of options cost a huge amount of money, whether it’s 2D or 3D. Make the best app explainer video, whiteboard animation, and many more through these top software.
Therefore, we provide you a list of the 10 best animation software for PC, both free as well as paid, so that you can pick according to how much money you would like to spend on it.
- Pencil2D
Pencil2D
Pencil2D is one of the best animation software for PC. It is a free and open-source software mainly used for creating vector as well as bitmap animations. The software offers various tools for pen, brush, and color allowing you to sketch, ink, and paint in the quickest way possible.
The easy-to-use, intuitive, and lightweight interface makes it a perfect choice for beginners. Pencil2D works well for creating Youtube videos, be it a simple one or something with too many layers.
One great advantage offered by this animation software is that its newest version offers a vast selection of user guides, tutorials, and manuals while making it easier for its users to learn its different tools.
Here are its main features:
Offers raster & vector workflows while allowing you to easy switching between them
Allows you to fastly review your work using flipping or rolling techniques
Offers a selection of tools such as onion skinning, colors, layers, keyframe, workplace toolbars as well as panels while making it a powerful suite
Offers a clean & organized timeline to create new frames in a seamless manner
Import images as new layers on different frames
Supports TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
- Biteable
Biteable
Biteable is mainly designed to provide studio-quality effects to VFX and animation. It is one of the best free animation software for PC with a user-friendly and simple interface. This 3D animation tool can be used for several purposes like creating ads, promos as well as videos for social media platforms.
With a simple drag and drop feature, you can easily add colors, photos, texts, sounds, etc to your videos. Biteable also provides a library full of hundreds of stock footage clips & scenes to create a customized video.
The software is used by some of the biggest companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, BBC, Shopify, Disney, etc.
Here are its main features:
Offers a specialty template for creating high-end presentations, animated logos & designs along with slideshows with different video elements
You can collaborate with other animators and share your projects with them
Upload your animated videos on Biteable & other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter & YouTube
Offers around 85,000 footage clips
Offers a variety of templates and text overlays
Offers customizable branding options
Biteable mainly offers three monthly & yearly plans – a basic free plan, as well as Plus & Ultimate plans for individual creators and professionals respectively.
Compatibility with: MacOS, Windows
- Blender
Blender
A powerful 3D animation suite specially designed for advanced animation, Blender is widely used commercially for creating films, games as well as the corporate world. It is one of the best animation software for PC and also video editing software, which highly focuses on rendering, simulation, modeling, rigging, compositing, motion tracking, video editing along with 2D & 3D animation.
Since it’s open-source software, creators from around the globe can contribute to its maintenance by providing their inputs and suggestions. The downside is that the interface is a little complicated, which is why you must watch the tutorial guides if you intend to use the software.
Here are its main features:
Its powerful rendering engines allows faster rendering of videos
Offers various digital sculpting tools to assist at every level of the digital production pipeline
Provides a variety of modeling tools such as modeling, sculpting, curves, retopology, etc
Draw in 3D while combining 2D & 3D art using the Grease Pencil
You can select from a variety of import & export options
Allows you to create simulations for effects such as rain, smoke, fog, fire, liquid, etc
Provides a video editor equipped with basic editing tools like masking, splicing, colour grading, etc
Compatibility with: Windows, Mac & Linux
- Animaker
Animaker
Animaker is a web-based animation platform ideal for creating 2D animations. It is an online DIY animation software that was the first to introduce an animated vertical video creator. It is used to create icons, characters, properties, maps, BGs, etc. Not just this, Animaker is extensively used in developing video clips for presentations, whiteboard animations, infographics clips, typography, handcraft, etc.
The software is free, and quite suitable for beginners due to its minimalistic interface and drag-and-drop functionality.
Here are its main features:
Create attractive animated videos using HD support, readymade graphics, horizontal & vertical layouts, etc
Offers around 200 sound effects & 100 background tracks to enhance the sound quality of your videos
Enables you to do voice recordings
You can collaborate with your colleagues and share your project with them
Lets you export your finished videos in HD resolution
The pro version includes advanced features like transitions, multimove, in-app camera, curves, enter/exit effects, etc
Compatibility with: web-browser based
- Animation Paper
Animation Paper
Animation Paper is a free-to-use hand-drawn 2D animation software for PC used by students, enthusiasts, and professionals worldwide. It allows you to work and view your edits in real-time. The interface is fast, intuitive, and simple and suits beginners once they get acquainted with it.
Animation Paper offers tools such as rotation, zoom, layers, cutouts, etc, and is decent enough to perform basic animation.
Here are its main features:
Allows real-time & smooth rotation and zoom along with several options for flipping
Offers a wide selection of tools like layers, lasso, colouring & paint, as well as high-end & customizable onion skinning
Small to big format frames
Allows real-time full frame reference on another monitor for faster editing
Offers Speed Dial & customizable Toolbar to reach your favourite tools with a single click
Allows importing of videos and frame-stacks for various purposes like rotoscoping
Top-quality lines & stabilization
Compatibility with: Windows, Mac & Linux
- Toon Boom Harmony
Toonboom
Toon Boom Harmony is one of the best free animation software for PC, that is widely used by both beginners as well as experts. It is mainly used for creating storyboards, art pieces as well as short animations. The software is loaded with a plethora of creative tools that help in all stages right from drawing to creating the final video.
The only drawback of Toon Boom Harmony is that its interface is a little complicated, and it may take some time for you to get the hang of it.
Here are its main features:
Offers vector plus bitmap tools for creating different types of animations
There is a stabilizer for drawing smooth lines
Offers high-end colour palette and paint options
Allows you to create cut-out animation
Supports 2D & 3D integration
Offers 3, 4 and 5-point curved perspective guides
Allows integration with the software present in the production pipeline
Allows importing multilayers PSD & PSB files, PDF, Illustrator, bitmaps along with other media files
Compatibility with: Windows, MacOS & Web
- OpenToonz
Opentoonz
OpenToonz also marks its place in the list of the best animation software for PC. The software is essentially developed for creating 2D animations both for personal as well as business use. Therefore, it is widely used for producing marketing video clips for brand promotion.
As it is open-source, animators and developers can customize the software as per their requirements and style of work.
The only downside of this software is that it can be a bit time-consuming to learn it.
Here are its main features:
Offers vector & bitmap drawing tools
A vast selection of animated effects & composite scenes including lighting, keys, warps, masks, blurs, etc
Offers indexed colour palettes along with colour change & quick paint
Allows scanning of different images in a product
High-end features include motion tracking, scripting, frame-by-frame animation, bones character animation, wavy distortion, and the like
You can link or connect objects to implement complex movements using Motion Tweening
Allows smoother correction of animations without losing the frame
Compatibility with: Windows, Mac & Linux
- K-3D
K3D
As the name suggests, K-3D is a 3D modeling and animation software for PC that specializes in polygonal modeling – an approach to represent surfaces of various objects with polygons. The software uses a combination of built-in plugins and visualization pipeline architecture with an aim to offer a flexible and robust platform to the animators.
K-3D offers numerous tutorials demonstrating how to use features such as shadows, texturing as well as symmetric modeling.
Here are its main features:
The procedural & parametric flows allows the user to make any adjustments and view changes immediately
An advanced undo/redo functionality allows you to rectify your mistake in a few seconds
A node-based visualization pipeline allows you to connect and combine various elements of a video
The software also allows you to work on one side of the model while mirroring the other side to view how it appears welded together
Offers a selection of inbuilt plugins
Compatibility with: Windows, MacOS
- Animate CC
Animate CC
Animate CC is an interesting animation software for PC that lets you create vector and bitmap animations for films, TV shows, games, etc. Besides, you can create attractive doodles, banner ads while creating action for infographics and tutorials.
Animate allows the creators to publish their work in different formats on different platforms in order to reach the maximum audience. Additionally, it offers tutorials to guide you through the basics of the entire animation process in steps.
Here are its main features:
Help design & build game environments and start screens
Create new poses for vector images and figures
You can do coding as well as asset design in the app itself
Use frame-by-frame animation and live brushes to create livelier characters that are full of expressions
With advanced rigging, combine motion, rig and character for easier editing
Share your animated videos on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter in a single click
You can organize your layers in a parent-child hierarchy
Allows you to export 360 VR animations
Compatibility with: Windows 10 & MacOS
- Synfig Studio
Synfig
Last but not least comes Synfig Studio – one of the best free animation software for PC, it offers a package of powerful tools for creating 2D animations. It uses vector graphics to develop timeline-based animations.
It is open-source software with two main versions – the Stable & Development version. The Stable version offers all necessary features to carry out basic animation tasks, whereas the Development version offers a selection of some state-of-the-art tools for users to get more innovative.
Beginners may find the software a little overwhelming in the beginning, this is why there are many tutorials available online to get them used to it.
Here are its main features:
The Skeleton Distortion Layer helps to perform complex deformations as well as bitmap artwork
High-end features include building character puppets, linking parameters, etc
You can create cut-out animations with bitmap images
Allows transformation of an image to another
Offers over 50 layers for creating attractive animations
There is a bone system which allows you to create natural movements in characters
You can add & synchronize background score or narration to your animated clips
Offers multiple content layers
Compatibility with: Windows, Mac & Linux
Frequently Asked Questions
How to download animation software for PC?
In order to download animation software on your computer, the first thing you are required to do is go to its website. Once you see the download link or button, click on it to start downloading. After downloading the software, all you need to do is install it on your computer.
Conclusion
Using one of the above-mentioned animation softwares for PC, you can easily create stunning 2D or 3D animated videos for your business or even for fun. However, you need to ensure that you select software that is compatible with your computer’s operating system and is equipped with the features you require.